Westlake Village woman to be honored for patriotism

Joe Lumaya/Special to the Star
Westlake Village resident Mardy Medders will be honored as the 2013 Patriotic Citizen of the Year at the Red, White & Blue Ball, which will be at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley on Saturday.

Joe Lumaya/Special to the Star
Westlake Village resident Mardy Medders holds a photograph of her parents, Jack and Mary Kaufman, and a U.S. flag given to her by retired Marine Col. Joe Mueller. The flag flew at the USS Arizona Memorial on Sept. 11, 2011, at Pearl Harbor. Medders will be honored as the 2013 Patriotic Citizen of the Year at the Red, White and Blue Ball, which will be at the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley on Saturday.

It's not by accident that Westlake Village resident Mardy Medders grew up with a deep appreciation for U.S. military service members and the sacrifices they make, or that as an adult, Medders would win an award for being patriotic.